White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt has postponed military training to continue supporting the CLARITY Act as it advances toward a Senate vote.

Witt confirmed the deferral in a social media statement, allowing him to remain involved in negotiations for the legislation, which aims to establish a comprehensive federal framework for digital assets. The bill faces a deadline before the August 8 congressional recess.

Separately, shares of Bitcoin mining companies rose sharply after announcements of major artificial intelligence infrastructure contracts. Hut 8 secured a 15-year, $9.8 billion lease for its data center campus, while IREN reported $2.8 billion in cloud services agreements and raised its annualized revenue target for the business above $4 billion by the end of 2026.

Several peers, including Cipher Digital, CleanSpark and MARA Holdings, posted gains of at least 9 percent. The developments highlighted the sector’s ongoing diversification into high-performance computing amid challenges in traditional mining economics.

In asset management news, Grayscale Investments outlined plans to implement regular cash distributions from staking rewards on its Ethereum and Solana exchange-traded products. Amendments to the relevant trust agreements are expected around August 7, with quarterly conversions of rewards into cash for shareholder payouts.

The move follows Grayscale’s initial staking distribution for its Ethereum product earlier this year. The Ethereum fund holds approximately $1.22 billion in net assets, while the Solana fund stands at $101.13 million.

Base, the Ethereum layer-2 network developed by Coinbase, is preparing to introduce 1:1-backed tokenized equities in the near term.

Jesse Pollak, the network’s creator, indicated in a Tuesday social media post that the launch is imminent, with final preparations underway. He acknowledged that a competing Ethereum layer-2 platform had successfully implemented similar products and noted Base’s intention to follow suit promptly.

The development reflects Base’s strategic shift toward financial applications, including trading, payments, artificial intelligence agents and tokenized assets. The network had previously emphasized social and creator-focused products but has adjusted its priorities accordingly.

US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds recorded net inflows for a fifth consecutive session on Monday, marking the longest such streak since early May.

The funds attracted $226.9 million in new capital, the largest single-day total since July 6. Cumulative inflows over the five-day period reached approximately $727.3 million.

The performance reduced year-to-date net outflows to below $5 billion. It followed a period of broader market recovery, with Bitcoin climbing above $65,000.

Analysts noted that the inflows may indicate easing selling pressure more than a resurgence in broad institutional interest. Sustained upward momentum in Bitcoin prices would likely be required to support further capital allocation to the products.

Bitcoin traded near $65,879 at the time of reporting, up 3.3 percent over the prior 24 hours.

A United Kingdom parliamentary group has initiated an investigation into barriers faced by cryptocurrency businesses and consumers in accessing banking services, including account openings and transaction restrictions.

The Crypto and Digital Assets All-Party Parliamentary Group announced the inquiry on Monday. It will evaluate the effects on investment, competition and economic growth, while assessing whether current measures are proportionate.

Stakeholders including banks, payment providers and crypto firms have until August 31 to submit written evidence. The group intends to release findings and recommendations afterward.

A survey conducted earlier this year by the UK Cryptoasset Business Council revealed that 10 exchanges reported banks blocking or delaying 40 percent of transactions. Seventy percent of respondents indicated the restrictions had diminished their willingness to invest, expand or hire in the United Kingdom.

Participants in the survey, which included major platforms such as Coinbase, Kraken and Gemini, reported increased instances of blocked customer transfers. One exchange estimated nearly 1 billion pounds in declined transactions over a 12-month period.

Industry representatives have argued that banks should apply differentiated risk assessments based on regulatory status, governance and fraud controls rather than uniform restrictions. They noted that blanket policies and transaction limits often fail to distinguish between high- and low-risk cases.

The inquiry precedes the Financial Conduct Authority’s planned start of full authorization applications for crypto firms on September 30. Full implementation of the regulatory regime is scheduled for October 2027.

Experts have highlighted a potential inconsistency between the government’s goal of positioning the UK as a global crypto hub and ongoing challenges in securing banking partnerships for authorized entities.

Bitcoin surpassed $66,000 on Tuesday, breaking through recent resistance levels and recording its highest price in more than a month.

The cryptocurrency reached an intraday high of $66,306. The move followed repeated tests of the $65,000 area and came amid renewed trader optimism for further gains.

Market participants pointed to potential upside toward $67,000 and beyond, with some forecasts suggesting an additional 5 percent to 6 percent increase if nearby resistance at $67,500 to $68,000 is cleared. The $70,000 level has emerged as a longer-term focus.

Short liquidations contributed to the upward momentum, with approximately $200 million in cross-cryptocurrency positions closed over 24 hours. Derivatives data indicated growing demand for upside exposure into month-end, particularly ahead of the Federal Reserve meeting on July 28-29.

Traders noted that while some buying interest appeared limited, the price action reflected improving risk sentiment amid ongoing geopolitical developments. The next key test for sustained momentum lies in holding above the recent breakout zone.

Russia’s State Duma has passed a comprehensive bill establishing a regulatory framework for digital assets, advancing the country’s efforts to formalize cryptocurrency activity.

The lower house of parliament approved the measure, known as bill No. 1194918-8, in its second and third readings on Tuesday. The legislation now awaits signature by President Vladimir Putin to take effect.

The bill sets rules for various market participants, including exchanges, brokers, custodians, asset managers and crypto exchangers. It grants the Bank of Russia significant oversight powers, including the ability to approve eligible crypto assets and issue detailed regulations.

Separate provisions apply to qualified and non-qualified investors. Non-qualified investors would face annual limits of 300,000 rubles (approximately $3,800) for crypto purchases through a single intermediary and 100,000 rubles for transfers abroad. Qualified investors would encounter higher caps of 3 million rubles for purchases and 1 million rubles for international transfers.

Domestic use of crypto assets for payments for goods and services remains prohibited. The legislation permits their application in foreign trade settlements to support cross-border transactions.

If signed, most provisions would enter into force on September 1, 2026, followed by a transition period ending July 1, 2027. After the transition, transactions must occur through regulated entities, with banks required to block non-compliant activity.

The central bank is expected to issue around 80 supporting regulatory acts by year-end. Additional bills addressing taxation and penalties for violations are also under consideration.

Industry representatives described the legislation as an initial step, noting that practical implementation will depend on further infrastructure development and detailed rules.

Gate Europe chief executive Giovanni Cunti has cautioned that some cryptocurrency firms already licensed under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation may still exit the bloc due to mounting compliance costs.

Cunti highlighted the challenges during a Monday interview, noting that stricter requirements have raised barriers for sustained operations. He indicated that several licensed entities could struggle to maintain the necessary resources over the long term.

The MiCA framework’s 18-month transition period concluded on July 1, compelling firms serving EU clients to obtain authorization or halt regulated activities. Several exchanges responded by limiting or withdrawing services in parts of the region.

Cunti observed that the regulatory environment, while enhancing investor protections, may discourage innovation compared with jurisdictions offering lighter oversight. Some projects could opt to establish operations elsewhere to avoid the compliance burden.

The number of authorized crypto-asset service providers has continued to expand, reaching 294 after the European Securities and Markets Authority added 14 firms on Friday.

Cunti noted that the reduction in market participants from thousands to hundreds creates opportunities for remaining providers, particularly as customers seek to maintain access to EU services.

A proposed three-way merger involving Tether-backed companies Twenty One Capital, Strike and Elektron Energy has been called off, leaving Strike to operate independently.

Jack Mallers will continue as chief executive of Strike but has stepped down from the equivalent role at Twenty One Capital. Discussions between Twenty One Capital and Elektron Energy are ongoing. Tether holds majority stakes in both entities.

Twenty One Capital shares showed little movement in Tuesday premarket trading.

The original plan, announced earlier this year, had envisioned combining Strike, Jack Mallers’ Bitcoin payments company, with Twenty One Capital before merging the entity with Bitcoin miner Elektron Energy. Tether had indicated support for the transaction.

Twenty One Capital was established in 2025 with investment from Tether, Cantor Fitzgerald and SoftBank. Tether later acquired SoftBank’s stake in the company.

The firm holds 43,514 Bitcoin, positioning it as the second-largest corporate holder of the cryptocurrency after MicroStrategy.

Robinhood’s newly launched blockchain has achieved substantial early trading activity, recording $570 million in daily volume on Uniswap shortly after debut, placing it second only to Ethereum.

The performance draws on the brokerage’s base of 27 million funded users. Activity has been concentrated in memecoins, contributing to the elevated figures during the initial launch period.

Observers are assessing whether the momentum can persist beyond the opening hype. The chain faces competition from established networks such as Solana.

Robinhood is positioning the development as part of a broader effort to build an integrated cryptocurrency platform that combines trading, payments and other services.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung directed financial authorities to review regulations governing single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds after criticism that the products excessively amplify market volatility.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Lee called for swift improvements to related rules and supporting measures to address the issues. He emphasized continued monitoring of market impacts and readiness to implement further steps if required.

The comments responded to debate surrounding leveraged products tied to shares of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

The Korea Financial Services Commission noted that the ETFs were introduced to curb capital outflows to overseas markets and to bring investor activity under domestic oversight. Regulators pointed out that similar leveraged products with two to three times exposure exist abroad.

Overseas leveraged product volumes have decreased, while net South Korean individual investment in foreign stocks dropped from about $40 billion last year to $2.8 billion in the first half of this year. Officials said the development has helped stabilize the local currency.

Market observers have nevertheless questioned the role of these domestic products in intensifying recent swings in semiconductor stocks.